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(No Mbd'el.) 3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

T. 11 BOWLES. TRAVELING SIGN FOR CARS. No. "293.555. Patented Feb. 12, 18.84.

N. PEIERS. Plloln-L-Xho mphm', Waslllnglwn n, c.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. H. BOWLES.

TRAVELING SIGN renames. Patented Feb. 12, 1884.

(N0 Medel'.)

' TRAVELING SIGN FOR (JARS.

ted Feb. 12', 1884.

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] Unrrnn STATES PA ENT @rrrcn.

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TRAVELING SIGN FORCARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,555, dated February 12, 1884.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, THoMAs H. BowLEs, of Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Traveling Signs for Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention is an improvement upon panoramic advertising devices for cars shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to Villiam Halkyard September 5, 1882, and in Letters Patent granted to myself November- 20, 1883.

In practically applying the invention set forth in the aforesaid patents, I have found some difficulty, first, in adapting the endless band on which the advertisements are placed to the form of cars in use, to which cars they must always be applied, as cars can rarely be built expressly for the purpose. I have also found a second difficulty in attaching, without objectionable mechanism, the shaft to which the belt or band is connected to the driving-axle of the car, by reason of the horizontal movement of the axle in applying the brakes.

My invention therefore consists, first, in the special construction by which I adapt the endless advertising-band and its driving mechanism to the car; second, in the special devices for communicating motion from the axle to the said band; and, thirdly, in a mode of applying the advertisements to the band.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a transverse section through the car. i 2 is a longitudinal section of the car. Fig. 8 is a section on line? gof Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is adetail view of the case inclosing theband. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the bottom.

In order to render the devices as simple as possible, and therefore least likely to get out of order, as well as to render them noiseless, I use shafting for the main part of the communication between band and car-axle. This shafting must not be so located in the car as to incommode the passengers. In order to avoid this, and at the same time to conveniently lo Application filed January 8, 1884. (No model.)

brings the upper end in line with the position in the space on one side behind the Ordinary lamp-box. The interior driving-shafts are shown at A A. They are exact duplicates of each other in every respect. They turn in bearing-blocks a b, and are preferably inclosed in tube c"'c,- which are set in the blocks and entirely cover the shafts and prevent them from rubbing against the passengers. To the upper end of each shaft A is connected by a universal joint a roller or pulley, B, having a vertical axis and suitable bearing above. This roller is set close to the end wall and on one side in the recess behind the lamp-box K, and is. entirely concealed. The lower end of the shaft A projects through the car-bottom and carries a bevel'gear, e, which meshes into an other gear, ff, on a shaft, Thisshaft is-supported in hangers underneath, and extends transversely of the car, and, as shown in the figures, serves to drive both the inclined shafts. It has a sprocket-wheel, G, fixed about the center of the shaft.

In the patent of Halkyard, heretofore men tioned, connection was made directly to the axle by means of a shaft and bevel-gears, and in my aforesaid patent a band and pulleys were used for said connection. These devices work imperfectly, by reason of the horizontal motion to which the axle is subjected in the operation of the brakes, and the adjusting device in the Halkyard patent, though operative, is not simple and economical. I have therefore adopted a ch ain-andsproeket mechanism. A sprocket wheel, h, is set on the axle, and a chain, H, (made sufficientlyloose to permit the necessary horizontal motion of the axle,) connects the sprocket'wheels G and 71.. The endless band E runs above the windows and over a loose roller, m, similar to B, at the other end of the car. As the band passed close to the wall, I

have provided rollers 19 '12 to turn the band and cause it to pass over the standards q q of the In order to support the operative parts and conveniently apply the whole to the ordinary car or, cars already in use, I make the case, as shown in the drawings, of strips of board 8 and tone above and one below-from the top and bottom of the case or recess. These extend quite to the end walls, and in them are.

the bearings of the roller. To these strips is fixed the partitiorrboard 0, which does not extend quite to the roller. The front opaque covering 7' at the end and the glass covering a are attached to these upper and lower strips,- and this construction forms a narrow, close supporting-case, simple and easily applied.

' The band is then made to lie close to the wall of the car in the place usually occupied by advertisement, and exposed fully to view of the passengers sitting in thelongitudinal seats D. The band will contain more than twice the amount of advertisingspace usually afforded as thus occupied, and its motion attracts attention, but is slow enough to allow the advertisements to be easily read.

The shafts may be placed outside the end walls or in the interior space within the walls without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The band is ordinarily made of fabric; but may be of leather or any suitable flexible material. 1

. As the advertisements are frequently o changed, I have invented a mode of affixing them to the band to save the time and expense of painting or printing on the band itself. I print the advertisements on separate pieces of flexible material and attach them to the band by means of buttons to u, so that they may be readily applied or removed at will.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car, and in combination with a supporting-case for such mechanism, an endless band provided with advertisements, rollers supporting the same, an inclined shaft connected by a universal joint with one of said rollers, bearings a b, supporting the shaft, and means for operating the same, substantially as described.

2. The rollers B and m, the band mounted thereon, and means for moving the same continuously, said rollers being combined with a case formed of upper and lower strips, and a longitudinal dividing-board forming a support for said strips, and located between the parallel portions of the band, thereby preventing rubbing of such portions against each other, all as set forth.

3. The combination of the supporting and driving rollers B and m, carrying an endless band, the case composed of upper and lower strips, and the supporting and dividing board, together with the guide-rollers p 19, supported in such case between the advertising-band and the frame of the car, whereby such band is deflected and freed from friction against the carframe, all as set forth.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS H. BOWLES.

Witnesses:

WALTER DONALDSON, I. E. MIDDLETON. 

